1. Field of the Invention
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a thin film transistor array substrate capable of reducing degradation of a device due to degradation of an oxide semiconductor pattern, and a method of fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Background
A liquid crystal display (LCD) is one of the most widely-used flat panel displays (FPDs). A LCD may include two substrates on which electrodes are formed, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the substrates. Voltages may be applied to the electrodes to change the orientation of liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer to control the amount of light transmitted by the LCD.
Generally, a LCD may include thin film transistors (TFTs) for controlling pixels. A TFT may include a gate electrode to which a switching signal is applied, a source electrode to which a data voltage is applied, and a drain electrode for outputting the data voltage, thereby forming a switching element having three terminals. The TFT may include an active layer formed between the gate electrode and the source electrode, and the gate electrode and the drain electrode. The active layer included in the TFT may generally be formed of an amorphous silicon layer. Due to an increasing demand for a high performance device with a large display size, the use of oxide semiconductors in TFTs is being researched.
If a TFT is fabricated using an oxide semiconductor, degradation of the TFT may occur due to degradation of an oxide semiconductor layer during etching and deposition processes. Therefore, a structure and method capable of reducing the degradation of a TFT due to degradation of the oxide semiconductor layer is needed.